Expand beyond Recovery with tools to change your thinking in order to change your life

We work closely with our clients to help them identify and address the obstacles of life, whether it’s a legal issue, poor credit, lack of education, irregular work history by developing a step by step plan. As an individual completes the intensive outpatient portion of treatment, we begin to emphasize real life skills solutions, laying the foundation for a strong aftercare plan.

Vocational Counseling

We coach individuals making the transition to independent sober living by offering resume preparation, job search assistance, and interviewing and job retention techniques.

By participating in group IOP’s and individual coaching sessions, individuals will identify their strengths and weaknesses , develop strategies for job search, clarify their “hire me” speech, create a current resume reflecting their marketable skills and learn how to follow-up on job leads and interviews.

This process offers a positive, reinforcing system empowering individuals to be successful in their job search process. These skills, once mastered, can be applied repeatedly.

One of the best predictors of successful substance abuse treatment is gainful employment. Due to this, and the fact that substance abuse disorders can be a barrier to employment, it is imperative that vocational services be incorporated into substance abuse treatment.

Staying sober is not just about abstinence, but developing a new way of living and having the knowledge and skills to make better choices. We offer the tools to develop sober supports and activities.

Body

Strengthen and nurture your inner core to face the world with shoulders back and head up.

Yoga

Recognizing the importance of mindfulness to recharge our minds and our body, we offer Yoga on the Beach.

These basic yogic principles are about taking yoga off the mat and into our daily lives — where it really matters.

Breath is the true gem of yoga, and for countless good reasons. This is the system of our body that is both voluntary and involuntary — giving it an almost mystical-like quality in the eyes of ancient practitioners. From a scientific standpoint, the power of the breath helps a person navigate the major branches of the autonomic nervous system: sympathetic and parasympathetic.

By controlling our breath, our prana, we are challenging and positively affecting our system’s reactions. We learn to self-regulate. By taking deep diaphragmatic breaths in a moment of anxiety, we activate the parasympathetic system that tells our mind, “All is well.” This activation takes us out of the fight-or-flight reaction of the stimulating sympathetic system.

By working with our breath, we learn to calm our minds and from here, we feel internal peace and equanimity in the face of external cha.

Physical Fitness

We know the benefits of the asanas in strengthening our muscular and skeletal systems and more, but the benefits of a physical yoga practice affect the subtle body as well.

When we engage in core work like Boat Pose (Navasana), we not only strengthen our abdominal muscles, but we also activate the Solar Plexus Chakra, the place of personal power and confidence. When we feel unsteady, uncertain or indecisive, we can engage in a little extra core work for a physical and mental boost.

Nutrition Education
You are what you eat, you’ve heard it said

Studies have shown that eating habits are established early in life and tend to carry through to adulthood. Unconscious eating results in poor food choices. The health of our bodies reflects our food choices. Your brain is fed by what your gut allows into your blood stream, whether it is healthy food or otherwise.

The presence of nutrition education in substance abuse treatment programs has been shown to enhance the success rate in recovery. Nutrition education, when applied properly, helps recovering alcoholics and addicts feel better because they are providing their bodies with high-quality energy and strengthening their immune systems at the same time.

We recommend the Recovery Diet

-Balanced Meals: Fats and proteins for energy as well as fruits and vegetables for essential vitamins and minerals
-Water, Water, Water: The means for your body to detox naturally
-Decrease sugar intake: Cut out the sweets so your mind and body are free to function properly
-Daily vitamin supplements: Vitamins D and B6 plus omega-3 fatty acids
– Up the protein intake: Amino acids in proteins are building blocks for neurotransmitters, brain energy which is often lacking in addicts
– Less caffeine: Caffeine can increase insomnia and anxiety, which are especially prevalent in early recovery
-Light Daily exercise: Find something you enjoy and get moving for at least 30 minutes each day
Your body will thank you!

Spirit

Expand beyond Recovery with tools to change your thinking in order to change your life

12 Step Program

A healthy, balanced spiritual life is an element of recovery that helps you form a strong foundation for long-term success. Spiritual growth is at the core of 12-Step recovery; it is a journey that continues throughout your lifetime. Growing your spirituality links you back to what is important in your life and in your recovery.

We have found that combining the disease model of Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) and the medical model which points out the biological factors of addiction is the best combination of treatment. The 12 Step Program builds fellowship support systems and is a roadmap to begin a personal spiritual journey.

Meditation

Doctors and yogis alike recommend meditation as medication — it helps to strengthen our awareness and build a sense of calm. But how many of us actually set time aside every day to meditate? Thankfully there are countless ways to practice awareness, the fundamental aspect of meditation, in daily activities and events.

For instance, when lying in bed at night we can focus our attention on our pulse in each fingertip. This engages the Dharana (the sixth limb of yoga), which is our concentration. If the mind is concentrated on perceiving a pulse in the pinkie fingertip, then that mind is fully present. A big part of our ability to feel safe and peaceful is the knowledge that there is always the safe haven of our present mind that we can rely upon to go to, in the midst of chaos and anxiety.

So instead of simply abstaining from the news, we can participate mindfully and presently in the events of our lives, and take comfort in knowing that meditation can help us feel grounded. When we can find a way to access that inner peace, it inevitably will expand.